Last Chance To See The Original Cast Of Sunny Afternoon

By Jacob Porteous

This week is the last chance for audiences to catch the original cast of Sunny Afternoon in the multi-Olivier Award-winning hit British musical which tells the story of the rise to fame of The Kinks. Their final performance will be on the evening of Saturday 3 October.

The new cast will have their first performance on Monday 5 October and includes Danny Horn (Doctor Who; The Dead Dogs), who will play Ray Davies, with Oliver Hoare (Antony and Cleopatra, Chichester) as Dave Davies, Tom Whitelock (Times Square Angel, Union) as bassist Pete Quaife and Damien Walsh (Dreamboats and Petticoats) as drummer Mick Avory. At certain performances, the role of Ray Davies will be played by Ryan O’Donnell (Romeo and Juliet, RSC; Quadrophenia). Sunny Afternoon is currently taking bookings until 16 April 2016.

Much of the current company have been with the production since the sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre in 2014 including the Olivier Award-winning leads John Dagleish (Best Actor in a Musical) and George Maguire (Best Supporting Actor in a Musical).

With a book by Joe Penhall, music and lyrics and original story by Ray Davies, and directed by Edward Hall, Sunny Afternoon has established itself as a firm favourite with audiences and critics alike since it opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in October 2014.

Sunny Afternoon was the best performing show at this year’s Olivier Awards, winning four awards. The production won Best New Musical, John Dagleish won Best Actor in a Musical, George Maguire won Best Supporting Actor in a Musical, and Ray Davies of The Kinks won for Outstanding Achievement in Music.

★★★★★ 'A Dazzling Production. A Heady Celebration of Quintessentially English Talent' The Guardian

Forty-nine years ago this year, The Kinks were sitting at Number One in the UK charts with their single ‘Sunny Afternoon’. The band’s popularity has not faded since the 1960s, with crowds of all ages filling the Harold Pinter Theatre night after night.

Featuring some of The Kinks’ best-loved songs, including You Really Got Me, Waterloo Sunset and Lola, Sunny Afternoon shows the music of The Kinks is still as popular as ever, more than 50 years since the band’s rise to fame.

Following a sold-out run at Hampstead Theatre, this world premiere production, with music and lyrics by Ray Davies, new book by Joe Penhall, original story by Ray Davies, direction by Edward Hall, design by Miriam Buether and choreography by Adam Cooper, opened at the Harold Pinter theatre on 28 October 2014. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, sound by Matt McKenzie and the Musical Supervisor and Musical Director is Elliott Ware.